Happy Thanksgiving weekend, everyone! Aside from the fact that the indulgence of food yesterday was not on my "wedding workout/diet" regime, my day was filled with love, gratitude and a whole lot missing my family back in Arizona.

As I talked about our upcoming nuptials with my future in-laws (whom I just adore), it really got me thinking about things I have been grateful for during the first half of my planning. Hopefully some of these will help you other brides-to-be in your process:

1. Books, Lists, Planners + Amanda:

Literally the night I became engaged, my dear friend Amanda (who also happens to be the wife of my fiance's best friend and my pro-bono wedding coordinator), compiled books, checklists, magazines and anything she felt I would need to begin this planning process. As a recent bride/the world's most organized person I know, she had many of them already tabbed, highlighted and ready-to-go. Here are a few of my favorites:

2. Wanderable:

Since Tyler and I have been "nesting" for a few years now, we have a lot of the home essentials many couples will register for. We've decided upon a honeymoon registry for our wedding. I searched for-ev-er to find one that was secure, anti-cheeseball and most importantly, free. When I came across the site, www.wanderable.com, I fell in love. It was everything I had searched for and more. Not only can we completely customize our own registry (believe me, many out there won't let you), but we can search other "dids" (think "pins") for honeymoon inspiration. The site brand-new, so you'll need to request an invite for access.

3. Pinterest:

If you do not have a pinterest account yet, you are missing out. Pinterest is the greatest thing since copy and paste. The inspiration found on this site is incredible. Pin your heart out.

4. My wedding sketch book:

While my sketches/drawings/doodles rival a second grader, the sketch book I made for our wedding has been the perfect source for all of my wedding plans and ideas. I bought a giant sketch book from the craft store, added my own tabs and started plugging away. I keep it right by my bed at night for when I wake up at 2am with an idea or reminder to do something.

5. iDo® Wedding Software:

I am not sure how I stumbled across this gem, but I am thankful everyday that I did. I was in desperate need for a non-distracting resource where I could put the all the logistical elements of our wedding. I love the online tools, but my eyes will instantly go to pretty pictures, colors or anything fun and I will completely forget what my intentions were in the first place. The iDo software is a program that you download to your desktop, so when you open it, it is only focused on your wedding and the details needing attention -- now, if only I can find something like this for the rest of my life.